Kevin Palmer

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  • Over the last month I've been staying closer to home for obvious reasons. But I'm grateful to have places like this nearby. Lately I've been visiting blocks of public land out on the plains where the snow has already melted. From here I set off cross-country, not following a specific trail. There's a certain freedom that's felt when exploring without a destination in mind. With expectations low, I simply head wherever looks most interesting. From the top of a high hill this is the stunning view I found looking west. The town of Buffalo is tucked away behind the hills but this perspective makes it look like there's nothing around. Cloud Peak at 13,167' is the tallest in the Bighorn Mountains, and it holds the last remaining glacier in the range. The summit is also the 3rd most topographically prominent in the entire Rockies. The flat-topped mountain is flanked by the more jagged Bomber Mountain on the left and Mount Woolsey on the right. I rarely create black and white images, but some scenes are just meant for it.
    From the Hills to the Mountains
  • The snowcapped La Sal Mountains form an incredible backdrop for all the red rock formations in Arches National Park. This was taken after sunset while there was still a soft glow in the west to light up these formations known as fins.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 11/6/2013
    La Sal Mountains
  • Ever since I saw the strange name (Leaky Mountain) on a map, I was intrigued by it. Located in the northern Bighorn Mountains, I could find little information about this waterfall online and no pictures. But I soon realized the reason: there's no easy way here. On the last weekend of April I took advantage of the warm weather and set out to find it. From the trailhead on the MT/WY border it's a 19 mile roundtrip hike, and I camped downstream. The next morning I climbed to the base, but there was no trail to follow, with steep terrain and thick vegetation lying between me and the falls. Numerous thorns, snowbanks, loose talus, water crossings and mud all had to be navigated around as I followed my ears to the source of the stream. Snowmelt and groundwater seeps into the limestone cliffs from above. Cold, pure spring water gushes out of the side of the mountain in multiple cascades. Behind me stretched out a panoramic view of Little Horn Canyon and the higher snowcapped peaks. With all the difficulty in reaching this place, once I finally got here I didn't want to leave.
    Leaky Mountain Falls
  • Morning sunlight illuminates an unnamed peak in Montana's Beartooth Mountains. This was the view I woke up to while camping in the East Rosebud Valley in Early May. In this mountain range are found dozens of glaciers, and the largest high elevation plateau in the US outside of Alaska. In the upper reaches of these steep slopes avalanche activity was high. A cornice, which is an overhang of snow caused by strong winds, can be seen on the upper right. Overnight the snow solidified as the temperatures cooled. But once the sunlight touched the snow and temperatures warmed, the snow became unstable and gave way. In my 10 mile hike through the wilderness I witnessed about 20 avalanches, most of them small. Sometimes I would hear them before I saw them, with the noise sounding like distant thunder. See below for a picture of one.
    Beartooth Mountain Majesty
  • Snow drifts blow across a treeless meadow in the Bighorn Mountains. In the distance is Medicine Mountain. The Medicine Wheel at the top was built by Native Americans thousands of years ago, and there is also an FAA radar used to track flights.
    Medicine Mountain Drifts
  • I've been wanting to get an image like this for a long time. But it's been several years since we've had a comet this bright. This comet named 46P/Wirtanen was discovered in 1948 and will make it's closest approach to Earth next week. I had my doubts that this picture would happen. The comet would only be positioned above this snowy mountain for 3 nights at most. Even rarer than a clear night in December, I needed a night with no wind. But at 2AM on December 7th, everything came together. The temperature hovered around 0°F; it was a frosty nostril kind of night. When I first arrived in the Bighorn Mountains the comet was just visible to the naked eye, but the best view was through binoculars. In my pictures, it's about 2-3X the angular size of the moon. To make this image I captured a series of 6 shots using a star tracking mount. I had to be careful to align everything as accurately as possible while processing.
    Comet and Mountain
  • During a heat wave I always like heading up to the Bighorn Mountains to cool down. I kept driving until I could go no higher. This highway, (14A) was opened for the season at the end of May and many snow drifts still remained. Darkness arrives very slowly this time of year, so I made some coffee and waited. After 11PM the blues of twilight finally faded away. Nights like this are rare at this elevation. No cold, wind, clouds, haze or anything else spoiled the view. It was perfect for stargazing. No matter how many times I see it, I'm always blown away by the sight of the milky way rising in a dark sky. Glittering star clusters, clouds of dust both dark and bright, glowing nebulae of all colors filled the scene. The more you look the more you see. A star tracking mount was used to counteract earth's rotation, allowing me to capture this highly-detailed image.
    Hunt Mountain Milky Way
  • Fog drifts through the Blue Ridge Mountains shortly after sunrise.
    Blue Ridge Mountain Fog
  • A Delta Aquarid meteor burns up in the sky above the Pryor Mountains. The glow in the distance is light pollution from Billings.
    Pryor Mountain Meteor
  • The evening light was nice as I hiked back along this trail through Bud Love Wildlife Area.
    Path to the Mountains
  • In December I spent a few days exploring Joshua Tree National Park. Compared to the hustle and bustle of most of Southern California this desert park is roomy, quiet, and peaceful. Even though I grew up fairly close, this was only my second time visiting. A mile above sea level in the Little San Bernardino Mountains, Keys View is one of the best viewpoints in the park and a great place to watch the sunset. A hidden trail leads up to Inspiration Point where this was taken. Far below on the floor of the Coachella Valley the infamous San Andreas Fault is visible. Over 10,000 feet above that is the snowcapped San Jacinto Peak. Few mountains in the US have a steeper rise. Higher still is San Gorgonio Mountain on the far right, which is the very top of Southern California at 11,500 feet.
    Overlooking Coachella Valley
  • Sheep Mountain has been on my list of peaks to climb for awhile. In the summer it's possible to drive to the top of this 9,610' mountain. But that's too easy, so I went in the winter. Snow depths varied from bare ground to drifts 15 feet high. After snowshoeing an exhausting 6 miles while carrying a heavy pack, I made it to the top with barely enough time to pitch a tent before dark. The summit itself is too rocky and exposed to the wind, but I found a nearby campsite that was flat enough and more sheltered. At sunrise the next morning the views were incredible. Looking east, I could see parts of the Black Hills well over 100 miles away. When the sun made it over the horizon, it was only visible for a couple minutes. But this ephemeral light show was worth all the effort to get here.
    Sheep Mountain Sunrise
  • Crepuscular rays shine on the high plains of Wyoming shortly after sunrise as seen from the top of Sheep Mountain.
    Sheep Mountain Rays
  • As I was packing up my tent this halo appeared around the sun. This is near the top of Sheep Mountain, Wyoming.
    Sheep Mountain Halo
  • I went on a longer hike than expected in the Bear Lodge Mountains, about 10 miles. But I didn't want to stop until I found this view, looking down into Sundance. Sundance Mountain is the closer peak with Inyan Kara Mountain on the far right.
    Overlooking Sundance
  • South of Billings, Montana, rising up out of the Bighorn Basin, is the Pryor Mountains. These mountains are home to a herd of mustangs. Some of these wild horses hang out in the lower elevations near Bighorn Canyon, but the majority are found near the mountaintop at 8,000 feet where the grass is greener. Getting here requires traveling a long, rough, and steep dirt road. On my prior Pryor visit, I didn't get all the shots I wanted and was only able to capture the horses in the middle of the day. But this time I made sure to be in the right place at sunset. The views were amazing into the valley below, and the light was magical. The horses numbered at least 60, but I lost count as they moved around. In the last minutes before the sun set, many of them trotted past me. Shooting into the sun created a dreamy look, but I had to be careful not to blind myself.
    Walking Into the Light
  • San Antonio Falls is a 100 foot high waterfall in the San Gabriel Mountains. It flows year round from springs higher up the mountain. I passed this waterfall on my hike up Mount Baldy.
    San Antonio Falls
  • The Pryor Mountains of south central Montana are filled with many towering pinnacles and spires like this one. Last week was my first time hiking in this rarely visited mountain range, going up a deep canyon to the unique Layout Creek Spring. A herd of 160 wild horses live in these mountains, but I didn't see any this time. To get the sun ray effect I went off trail until I found the perfect position to partially obscure the sun behind the pinnacle. Using a smaller aperture produced an 18-point sunstar.
    Pinnacle of Perfection
  • On a September morning the Bighorn Mountains were shrouded in clouds. But this was the view from the top of Black Mountain.
    Waves of Clouds
  • From comets, to lightning, northern lights, and meteors, I've amassed a collection of photos of one of my favorite local mountains at night. But I lacked a moonshot. The 7,877 foot peak named Steamboat Point is topped with dramatic cliffs of dolomite. You can't tell from this distance but the boulders below the cliff face are bigger than houses. Because of the position of the viewpoints, a full moon can only be seen rising over the mountain in the winter months. Unlike the sun, a full moon rises north of due east in the winter. In January it is called the Wolf Moon. While wolves do not currently live in the Bighorn Mountains, they have been seen before. The snow conditions at this elevation were highly variable with lots of bare ground as well as big snow drifts. After lining up my shot the moon failed to appear on time because a cloud hid the horizon. But after waiting and repositioning at the last minute, the moon briefly passed through a small gap in the clouds.
    Steamboat Moonrise
  • In early January I spotted this pair of lenticular clouds in the Bighorn Mountains, and I reached a lookout just in time to watch them light up after sunset. These lens-shaped clouds appear to remain stationary, and are fascinating to watch. When strong winds flow over a mountain range, the air gets deflected and standing waves are formed on the lee (downwind) side. If there is enough moisture in the air, then the crest of the wave condenses into a cloud. Mountain waves can cause severe turbulence in passing aircraft. Even though these waves may be present in clear air, lenticular clouds serve as a visual warning to pilots to stay away. UFO sightings have been attributed to these clouds as well, since many of them do resemble flying saucers.
    Stacked Plates
  • At the top of the Pryor Mountains in Montana lives a herd of wild horses. The combination of mustangs and scenic views makes this a special place. The mountains in the background are the Bighorns.
    Multicolored
  • South of Billings, Montana, rising up out of the Bighorn Basin, is the Pryor Mountains. These mountains are home to a herd of mustangs. Some of these wild horses hang out in the lower elevations near Bighorn Canyon, but the majority are found near the mountaintop at 8,000 feet where the grass is greener. Getting here requires traveling a long, rough, and steep dirt road. On my prior Pryor visit, I didn't get all the shots I wanted and was only able to capture the horses in the middle of the day. But this time I made sure to be in the right place at sunset. The views were amazing into the valley below, and the light was magical. The horses numbered at least 60, but I lost count as they moved around. In the last minutes before the sun set, many of them trotted past me. Shooting into the sun created a dreamy look, but I had to be careful not to blind myself.
    Golden Day
  • After the sun set, the Belt of Venus rose in the southeast, casting a soft pink and blue glow over the Bighorn Mountains.
    Dusk Before Solstice
  • The Pryor Mountains are not a very large or tall range. But they hold lots of wonders including several mysterious ice caves. At this elevation (8,600') any snow would have melted away months ago. But snow and ice stays beneath the ground year round. The Crater Ice Cave is one of the harder caves to reach because it requires an 1,800 foot climb to the highest peak, Big Pryor Mountain. The cave is located just below the summit and has a side entrance as well as a skylight entrance overhead.
    Subterranean Snow
  • After checking the sunset forecast, this seemed as good an evening as any to climb a peak that I've had my eye on for awhile. I knew there would be a great view of the Cloud Peak massif if I could make it to the top. There was no trail and the route up this forested mountainside was steep. But it was the first 60°F day of the year and enough snow had melted on the south-facing slope to make the going easier. The sun quickly disappeared once I reached the top and the light turned flat. When the sun is hidden on the opposite side of the mountains it can be hard to tell what kind of sunset it will be. Will there be any color or are the clouds too thick? But then a subtle glow slowly began to emerge to the west. It spread across the sky as the wind picked up and the temperature dropped. Minutes later the glow was gone, like it never happened.
    Short But Sweet Sunset
  • This snow covered wall is on the west side of Peak 10215 in the Bighorn Mountains. Loaf Mountain can be seen in the distance.
    Snow Wall
  • The pyramid shaped shadow of Black Mountain grew larger as the sun set behind me. The views are amazing from this 9500' peak in the northern Bighorn Mountains. Climbing it in June is about 10X easier than the last time I climbed it in January.
    Black Shadow
  • Nearly 2 miles high in the Cloud Peak Wilderness is a place called Highland Park. Ever since someone told me about it last fall I've been wanting to visit. But it is not easy to reach. The trailhead starts at the end of a long and rough dirt road. After hiking 7 miles, deep snow drifts covered the last mile of trail. With lots of post-holing, my shoes were soon soaked through. But it was worth the effort to get here. The highest peaks of the Bighorn Mountains towered to to the south providing an incredible panoramic view. From left to right is Penrose Peak, Sawtooth Ridge, Mount Woolsey, and Blacktooth Mountain. With over 50 elk grazing in the meadow below I opted to setup camp a little higher instead. Other than the sound of a distant waterfall and the occasional elk call, it was perfectly silent. This was the view of the alpenglow at sunrise the next morning.
    Highland Park Sunrise
  • The milky way was shining brilliantly on the morning of summer solstice, the shortest night of the year. Thin clouds were making haloes around the brighter stars and the planet Saturn. A long exposure revealed colors invisible to the human eye, including green airglow and purple nebulae. There wasn't a meteor shower going on, but I captured this bright random meteor in one of the time lapse frames. On any given night there are an average of 6 sporadic meteors per hour visible under a dark sky. The skies here were very dark, with amazing views of the Bighorn Mountains in every direction. This was taken from a fire lookout tower on the 9,500' summit of Black Mountain.
    Solstice Meteor
  • A beam of sunlight shines in between passing clouds at Holland Lake, Montana. A thunderstorm had just passed through and patches of fog were moving across the mountains.
    Storm and Sunbeam
  • These horses were grazing by my campsite near a 4WD road in the Big Horn Mountains. I wanted to find somewhere to camp with a view of the snowcapped 13,005 feet high Black Tooth Mountain in the distance. Out of the herd of 7 horses, these two were obviously a couple. I waited for them to walk into the late evening sunlight before I shot their portrait.
    Inseperable
  • At the end of September week an early season snowstorm swept through northern Wyoming, dropping up to 6 inches in the mountains and valleys. I spent a few hours in the Bighorn Mountains trying to capture the clash of seasons. The snowstorm coincided with the peak of fall colors, although some trees were already bare. Aspen trees are not as widespread in the Bighorns as they are in other parts of the Rockies, growing only in a few areas. Circle Park is one spot I knew I could find them. The trees in an aspen stand are actually clones of one another, all connected by an extensive underground root system. While an individual tree may only live 100 years, aspen groves as a whole are some of the oldest and largest living organisms on Earth. Aspens can survive wildfires much better than conifers, but they require more sunlight to grow.
    September Snow
  • My goal was to get an overview of the Teton Valley with the highest peaks lighting up at sunset. But despite the forecast for clear and sunny skies, I was dismayed when I got to the top and saw that the Tetons were hidden from view and the clouds were not going to lift. So I turned my attention to the west instead, looking towards Stouts Mountain and the Swan Valley. At first the light was flat there too, but then a gap in the clouds slowly began to open up. Sunbeams danced across the ridges and the light became better and better. Finally the sun came out for just a moment, and a pillar appeared above it caused by ice crystals suspended in the air. It wasn't the shot I had planned, but this short-lived sunset view was worth all the effort to snowshoe up this mountain.
    Big Hole Mountain Sunset
  • At the end of September an early season snowstorm swept through northern Wyoming, dropping up to 6 inches in the mountains and valleys. I spent a few hours in the Bighorn Mountains trying to capture the clash of seasons. The snowstorm coincided with the peak of fall colors, although some trees were already bare. Aspen trees are not as widespread in the Bighorns as they are in other parts of the Rockies, growing only in a few areas. Circle Park is one spot I knew I could find them. The trees in an aspen stand are actually clones of one another, all connected by an extensive underground root system. While an individual tree may only live 100 years, aspen groves as a whole are some of the oldest and largest living organisms on Earth. Aspens can survive wildfires much better than conifers, but they require more sunlight to grow.
    White Fall Foliage
  • After descending Loaf Mountain, I came across these wildflowers at 11,000 feet.
    Loaf Mountain Wildflowers
  • This meadow below "Grandma's Mountain" is one of many scenic views along the Penrose Trail near the town of Story.
    Grandma's Mountain
  • The Big Snowy Mountains are one of several island ranges found in central Montana, rising straight out of the prairie. But unlike the surrounding mountains in a mostly dry climate, this one has it's own lake. Crystal Lake is interesting for several reasons. It is very shallow and fish do not survive the winter when it freezes solid. The lake bed is made of porous limestone. The water level reaches it's maximum depth in early summer when the snow finishes melting. But then it starts to drain. As I walked along the shore I noticed the water bubbling away in certain spots as it seeped through the ground. By early fall the lake is significantly smaller and in some years it's not much more than a puddle. The color of the water also changes quite a bit depending on the direction and intensity of the sunlight. I liked this turquoise color the best as seen from an overlook called Promontory Point. Next time I visit I want to check out the perennial ice cave which is located at the top of the 8,000' ridge in the distance.
    Turquoise Crystal
  • One of my goals this summer was to capture a lightning storm from the Bighorn Mountains. But it’s not easy since by the time a storm pops up it may be too late to get to the right spot. And once I’m in the mountains, lack of cell data makes it hard to know what’s happening with the weather. But storms weren’t even expected on this night. I was camping near an overlook called Freeze Out Point. At 11PM I went up to the overlook one last time and was surprised to see flashes to the east. The cell was some 75 miles away in Montana, and at that distance lightning often appears red as it’s seen through the thicker lower atmosphere. Distant lightning strikes that are silent and without thunder are often called heat lightning. But heat lightning isn’t really a specific type, thunder simply can’t be heard from more than 10 miles away. There was just enough time to shoot a time lapse of this moonlit lightning storm before low clouds and fog came in and obscured the view.
    75 Mile Strike
  • A lenticular cloud hangs above Hesse Mountain at 3AM as seen from Powder River Pass. Lenticular clouds are sculpted by the wind and form repeatedly over the same area, usually a mountain peak. In the upper right of this panorama is Jupiter, with the bright star Vega on the top left.
    Hesse Mountain Lenticular
  • Smoke from the Hunter Peak wildfire was trapped under an inversion layer as the sun rose over the Beartooth Mountains.
    Hunter Peak Sunrise
  • It was July 4th weekend, and most of the campgrounds in the Bighorn Mountains were full. But I didn't mind because I found a dispersed campsite instead with an amazing view of the milky way.
    Good Night
  • It was late May but there was still plenty of snow along Red Grade Road in the Bighorn Mountains.
    Spring at Red Grade
  • Clouds swirl around Loaf Mountain before sunset as seen from the High Park lookout.
    Loaf Mountain Panorama
  • After the sun set over the Absaroka Mountains, Venus became brighter and the zodiacal light began to glow vividly all around it. The diffuse, diagonal glow is caused by the sun illuminating dust particles within the solar system.
    Venus Glow
  • A colorful rainbow glows above a dirt road near Hunt Mountain in the Bighorns.
    Hunt Mountain Rainbow
  • I was hiking in the Bighorn Mountains when it started to rain and the sun threatened to peak out at the same time. It was late enough in the day to make it perfect rainbow weather, I just had to reach the top of the ridge before it happened. A 2nd shower rolled out of the mountains after I reached this view, and a partial rainbow appeared. The trail conditions were very changeable, ranging from soft thigh-deep snow, to packed ice, to mud, to dry ground. Even though the Red Grade Trail system isn't very long, I definitely had to earn the view on this day.
    First Rainbow of Spring
  • Over Labor Day weekend the Earth's magnetic field was battered by a solar wind stream from a coronal hole on the sun, which reached speeds of up to 800km a second. This led to the aurora dipping down to lower latitudes and I was able to catch it 4 nights in a row. I'm always in search of new north-facing viewpoints for picture opportunities. This night I spent at the top of the Judith Mountains in central Montana. Montana always has a better shot at seeing the aurora and being at a high elevation helped even more. The views reached far and wide out over the plains with more mountain ranges than I could count. As it got dark flashes of lightning were visible 250 miles away in Saskatchewan which I didn't even know was possible. The aurora danced all night long, preceded by a fiery sunset and followed by a stormy sunrise. It couldn't have been a more colorful stay on this mountaintop.
    Pillars Rising Above
  • In the Pryor Mountains of Montana lives a herd of about 120 wild horses. Thought to be descendants of Spanish colonial horses, these mustangs were the first to be federally protected after nearly being removed in the late 1960's. The foal pictured here (named Renegade) was less than 4 weeks old. He is 1 of 5 foals born this year, although 2 didn't make it. This wild horse range is not easy to access. It requires a long 40-mile drive on steep, rough, and rocky dirt roads, where navigation can be tricky. It's not a place to go unprepared. After I couldn't drive any further, I walked the rest of the way since I finally spotted the herd in the distance. I counted a total of 22 horses near the top of Sykes Ridge at 8,000 feet.
    4 Week Old Foal
  • In the Pryor Mountains of Montana lives a herd of about 120 wild horses. Thought to be descendants of Spanish colonial horses, these mustangs were the first to be federally protected after nearly being removed in the late 1960's. This wild horse range is not easy to access. It requires a long 40-mile drive on steep, rough, and rocky dirt roads, where navigation can be tricky. It's not a place to go unprepared. After I couldn't drive any further, I walked the rest of the way since I finally spotted the herd in the distance. I counted a total of 22 horses near the top of Sykes Ridge at 8,000 feet.
    Chasing the Mare
  • There are many waterfalls and rapids along the trail to Elk Lake in the Beartooth Mountains. This one was the biggest.
    Rosebud Falls
  • The last sunlight of the day shines on Mount Sublette high in the Absaroka Mountains. This peak is located directly on the continental divide which separates the drainage basins of the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. Togwotee Pass at nearly 10,000 feet is known for frequent sightings of grizzly bears. But by this time of year they had long since been in hibernation. The 4.5 feet of snow made it challenging to take pictures. The center column on my tripod broke after I tried pushing it all the way down into into the snow, which was an expensive mistake.
    Sublette Alpenglow
  • The Open Door towers above Granite Creek shortly after sunrise in the Gros Ventre Mountains.
    Granite Creek Morning
  • Not every lunar eclipse is the same. Each one varies depending on which part of Earth’s shadow (called the umbra) that the moon passes through. Atmospheric conditions on Earth also influence the view. Lingering exhaust from the massive volcanic eruption in Tonga in January helped make this eclipse darker and redder than usual. In Wyoming, totality started during twilight. The extra light revealed more details in the landscape. Then after twilight ended, thousands of stars came out, along with stripes of green airglow. A dark sky and a full moon, normally enemies of each other, were seen together for just a few minutes before normal moonlight returned.<br />
While the lower slopes of the Bighorn Mountains are now a vibrant green, up here at Powder River Pass, winter is still hanging on. Nearly 10,000 feet above sea level, temperatures still drop below freezing at night even in mid-May.
    Blood Moon In A Dark Sky
  • There are some things that just don't happen every day. One of the brightest comets in decades is swinging past Earth this month. As I brainstormed to figure out where to capture it, Steamboat Point seemed like an obvious choice. Anyone who has driven Highway 14 would recognize this iconic peak of the Bighorn Mountains. It gets its name because of the massive rock face that sticks into the air like the prow of a steamboat. Even though storms were around in the evening, I was not expecting them to last. But lightning flashed to the north for the entire night. The red color is an effect caused by viewing from a long distance through the thicker atmosphere. At 2:30AM, the comet rose above the northeast horizon, tail-first. A comet's tail always points away from the Sun. The 67% moon off to the right lit up the mountain, while shadows added depth to the scene. Soon after this, noctilucent clouds joined the show, but that's for another post. By the time the sun rose my memory card had 1400 new images. It was a night very much worth losing sleep over.
    Worth Losing Sleep Over
  • After watching the northern lights for hours, I finally went to sleep at 3AM. Just 3 hours later I awoke to this view. It doesn’t get much better. I knew this was a risky spot to camp near the top of the Judith Mountains in Central Montana. If a storm popped up it was very exposed to wind, rain, and lightning. There was only a 20% chance of storms, but this was the lucky day out of 5. Rainbows are always biggest (84° wide) when the sun is at the horizon. The rainbow and amazing sunrise only lasted about 10 minutes. After this I hastily packed up my tent and took shelter in my car as a 2nd thunderstorm threatened behind this one. There’s a reason the Air Force built an early warning radar station on this mountaintop during the Cold War. The views out over the plains seem to go on forever, no matter which direction you look. This small but scenic mountain range north of Lewistown also contains gold deposits and two ghost towns. Even though I was still tired, I couldn’t complain. Rarely are the most memorable days the ones in which I get plenty of sleep.
    Sunrise Rainbow
  • In the Pryor Mountains of Montana lives a herd of about 120 wild horses. Thought to be descendants of Spanish colonial horses, these mustangs were the first to be federally protected after nearly being removed in the late 1960's. The foal pictured here (named Renegade) was less than 4 weeks old. He is 1 of 5 foals born this year, although 2 didn't make it. This wild horse range is not easy to access. It requires a long 40-mile drive on steep, rough, and rocky dirt roads, where navigation can be tricky. It's not a place to go unprepared. After I couldn't drive any further, I walked the rest of the way since I finally spotted the herd in the distance. I counted a total of 22 horses near the top of Sykes Ridge at 8,000 feet.
    2017 Mustang
  • The snowy peaks of the Beartooth Mountains are reflected in the small Elk Lake. The water was calm before the wind picked up later in the morning.
    Elk Lake
  • In early August the aurora made an appearance and I was able to see it for the first time this year. The sun follows an 11 year cycle where the solar activity that causes the aurora (sunspots, solar flares, coronal mass ejections) increases and decreases. As we head toward solar minimum predicted in 2019, the aurora will become increasingly rare in the mid-latitudes, but will continue to occur around the arctic. Last year I was able to witness the aurora 10 times, mostly from Illinois, but this year has been a lot different. This picture was taken from the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains above Dayton, Wyoming. It was a spot I scouted out in advance and knew it had a good view north. While I was taking pictures, a sharp gust of wind came up over the ridge. I held on to my tripod, but the wind blew my camping chair down the side of the mountain.
    Dayton Aurora
  • From this view you can see the scar left in the mountain from Going to the Sun Road. The views from this road were incredible, especially late in the day as the sun got lower.
    A Mountain Cut
  • Even after driving up Highway 14 dozens of times, I almost always stop at this scenic overlook. It’s where the Bighorn Mountains meet the endless plains stretching across eastern Wyoming and Montana. The towns of Dayton, Ranchester, and Sheridan are seen thousands of feet below and it’s a popular spot for launching hang gliders. For years I’ve wanted to capture a good lightning storm from here. But it required just the right storm, one that comes in from the northwest in a path parallel to the mountains. It needed to be close enough to light up the valley, but far enough to stay out of danger and out of most of the rain. It also needed to be predictable, so I could get there in time. At 10PM sheets of rain began to envelop the ridges to the north one by one. Then this brilliant flash illuminated the foothills and switchbacks just before the lights of Dayton disappeared into the downpour. I’ve always loved the challenge of capturing something that lasts a fraction of a second and preserving it in a picture.
    Electric Rain
  • I’ve always liked this particular road on the west side of the Bighorn Mountains. With plenty of steep twists and sharp turns, switchbacks and hairpins, it ascends to a waterfall and campground. The poor maintenance, few guardrails, and occasional rockfall add to the thrill. If the snow were any deeper I couldn't have made it to the top. Before it got dark I found the perfect viewpoint so I could return later. The bright moon illuminated the beautiful landscape and clouds, I just had to wait for it to move off to the side. At 10PM Orion rose directly above the peak in the middle. Then all I needed was a car to paint the road with its headlights. So I left my camera perched on the side of the mountain to shoot automatically while I slowly drove to the bottom and back up. After combining all the car trail images with a single image of the sky this was the result. Highway 14A is the road on the right and the lights in the distance are from Greybull I think.
    Switchbacks and Car Trails
  • Mars and the milky way shine above the Pryor Mountains on a dark night.
    Red Planet and Milky Way
  • In the Pryor Mountains of Montana lives a herd of about 120 wild horses. Thought to be descendants of Spanish colonial horses, these mustangs were the first to be federally protected after nearly being removed in the late 1960's. The foal pictured here (named Renegade) was less than 4 weeks old. He is 1 of 5 foals born this year, although 2 didn't make it. This wild horse range is not easy to access. It requires a long 40-mile drive on steep, rough, and rocky dirt roads, where navigation can be tricky. It's not a place to go unprepared. After I couldn't drive any further, I walked the rest of the way since I finally spotted the herd in the distance. I counted a total of 22 horses near the top of Sykes Ridge at 8,000 feet.
    Renegade
  • The Open Door is an 11,113 feet high peak in the Gros Ventre Mountains.
    The Open Door
  • The San Gabriel Mountains tower 10,000 feet above Los Angeles. This is the view from just below the summit of Mount Baldy. Normally in February deep snow would cover the peaks. But warm temperatures and a drought meant only a small amount of snow remained on north-facing slopes. Down in the valley the blue skies were obscured by smog. But up here the air was clear and clean. This was a challenging 11 mile hike but the views were well worth it.
    Above the Desert
  • To the local rancher it might just be a random spot on the dirt road they drive everyday. But to me it was a place I had scouted out in advance after studying topo maps, to find the best north-facing view of the Crazy Mountains. Located in Central Montana, the Crazies are always an eye-catching sight. As the highest and most prominent of the state’s many island mountain ranges, it’s jagged peaks rise straight up out of the prairie and pierce the sky. The Crazies are sacred to the local Crow Tribe, and considered ominous and unpredictable. Somewhere up there is an old tripod of mine that mysteriously vanished one night. After a fiery sunset, the clouds cleared and Comet NEOWISE soon appeared. Before it rapidly faded, mid-July was the best time to view the comet. With no interference from moonlight, the enormous dual tails of NEOWISE were visible in all their glory. The blue ion tail consists of gases ionized by UV light and influenced by the magnetic field of the solar wind to point in a straight line. The white dust tail on the other hand, consists of neutral dust particles that are more widely dispersed.
    Crazy Comet
  • The constellation Orion hangs above the snowy peaks of the Bighorn Mountains on a cold and windy night. The diffuse glow on the right is called the zodiacal light. This glow can only be seen where the skies are very dark, any light pollution will drown it out. The zodiacal light is caused by the sun reflecting off of grains of dust shed by comets and asteroids in the inner solar system. This dust is concentrated along the zodiac (also known as ecliptic), which is the orbital plane that the sun, moon, and planets travel in our sky. The planet Mars can be seen touching a cloud at the bottom of the glow. Because of the angle of the ecliptic, this phenomena is best seen in the west after dusk in the spring, or in the east before dawn in the fall.
    Glow of the Zodiac
  • Steamboat Point is one of my favorite mountains that I've climbed multiple times. This time I walked around in the snow trying to find a different perspective on it.  I was too late to capture the sunlight on top of the peak so I had to photograph the cool blue colors of twilight instead.
    Steamboat Point Twilight
  • Not every lunar eclipse is the same. Each one varies depending on which part of Earth’s shadow (called the umbra) that the moon passes through. Atmospheric conditions on Earth also influence the view. Lingering exhaust from the massive volcanic eruption in Tonga in January helped make this eclipse darker and redder than usual. In Wyoming, totality started during twilight. The extra light revealed more details in the landscape. Then after twilight ended, thousands of stars came out, along with stripes of green airglow. A dark sky and a full moon, normally enemies of each other, were seen together for just a few minutes before normal moonlight returned.<br />
While the lower slopes of the Bighorn Mountains are now a vibrant green, up here at Powder River Pass, winter is still hanging on. Nearly 10,000 feet above sea level, temperatures still drop below freezing at night even in mid-May.
    Powder River Pass Eclipse
  • Hunting for the aurora from the mid-latitudes can be a frustrating endeavor. For every night that I've clearly seen the northern lights, there are 2 more where I've gone out only to see the aurora quickly fade or clouds overtake the sky. But perfect nights like this one make it all worth it. After NOAA issued a geomagnetic storm warning, I headed for the Bighorn Mountains. The aurora was obvious as soon as I stepped out of my car. But it was just a green glow without any structure or movement. At 12:30AM, the lights began to grow brighter. Pillars topped with purple and red suddenly rose up and moved rapidly back and forth. This is called a substorm. Charged particles in the solar wind causes pressure to build up against Earth's magnetic field. The magnetic field will suddenly 'snap' and the release of energy makes the aurora intensify. Substorms are unpredictable and often last only minutes. In this frame I caught a Lyrid meteor burning up above Steamboat Point.
    Dawn of the North
  • This was the view from the lower slope of Coyote Mountain with Clark Dry Lake and the Santa Rosa Mountains in the distance.
    Above Clark Dry Lake
  • After trekking for 10 miles into the wilderness of Abisko National Park in Swedish Lapland, I was relieved to reach my destination. The last couple miles were the toughest, crossing a frozen lake fully exposed to the wind. My face was getting numb and the last of my water was now a block of ice. After warming up a bit I went back out to capture the mountain Kieron glowing in the evening sunlight. High peaks surround this scenic valley in the Scandinavian Mountains. The vegetation at the edge of tree line mostly consists of short birches, with everything else buried under a meter of snow. This was the first segment of the Kungsleden, a popular 270 mile long hiking and skiing trail. Ski season doesn’t start until the 2nd half of winter, the first half is much too dark. Mountain cabins are spaced about a day’s journey apart. They lack electricity or running water. But chopping firewood and collecting water from a hole cut in the ice keeps guests busy. The facilities included a small store, caretaker’s cabin, bunkhouse, and of course a sauna.
    Birches and Kieron
  • In the far northwest corner of Finland is the tiny village of Kilpisjärvi. This is the only part of the country that touches the Scandinavian Mountains, and it's near Finland's highest point. The elevation and close proximity to the Arctic Ocean makes this the snowiest place in the country, and the snow here had a different quality than any other I've seen. It was so light and fluffy it could be blown off the windshield with my breath, and footprints in the deep snow pack left behind aqua-blue holes. I climbed halfway up one of the mountains, Saana, to obtain this view as the sun struggled to emerge. On the other side of the frozen lake is Sweden, with Norway to the right. This far above the Arctic Circle, trees can not grow above 600m. After this I tried climbing higher, but the route became icy, and visibility was nearing whiteout  so I was forced to turn back.
    View From Saana
  • The community of Alpine sits at the edge of East Rosebud Lake in the Beartooth Mountains. There are over 60 cabins here with incredible views of the snow capped peaks above.
    Village of Alpine
  • The Tetons glow in the light of sunrise on a frosty morning while the Snake River flows quietly below. It is this exact view that I used to create my logo/watermark. One of the reasons the Tetons are so majestic is because this range has no foothills. The mountains rise abruptly 7,000 feet above the valley floor in only about 3 miles. On long winter nights cold air tends to slide down the steep slopes and becomes trapped under an inversion layer in the Jackson Hole Valley. With the Tetons to the west, Absarokas to the north, and the Gros Ventre mountains to the east, the air has nowhere to go. This leads to some seriously cold temperatures. In the last month alone it has reached -20°F or colder on 7 mornings. In 1933 the temperature here dropped to a bone-chilling -66°F, making it among the coldest temperatures ever measured in the US outside of Alaska.
    Winter Teton Sunrise
  • The Tetons glow in the light of sunrise on a frosty morning while the Snake River flows quietly below. It is this exact view that I used to create my logo/watermark that I put in the corner of every picture I upload. One of the reasons the Tetons are so majestic is because this range has no foothills. The mountains rise abruptly 7,000 feet above the valley floor in only about 3 miles. On long winter nights cold air tends to slide down the steep slopes and becomes trapped under an inversion layer in the Jackson Hole Valley. With the Tetons to the west, Absarokas to the north, and the Gros Ventre mountains to the east, the air has nowhere to go. This leads to some seriously cold temperatures. In the last month alone it has reached -20°F or colder on 7 mornings. In 1933 the temperature here dropped to a bone-chilling -66°F, making it among the coldest temperatures ever measured in the US outside of Alaska.
    South, Middle, and Grand Teton B&W
  • The light was beautiful on this early November day. In between passing snow showers, the sun would come out and light up the valleys while darkening the clouds. This view was seen north of Dillon, Montana. The hills in the distance are the foothills of the Pioneer Mountains.<br />
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Date Taken: November 4, 2013
    Snow Squall
  • It was a beautiful evening at East Rosebud Lake. The last light on the Beartooth Mountains was reflected in the calm water at the lake's outlet.
    East Rosebud Lake
  • These natural steps are on the top of Bald Knob in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. The newly green trees were catching the golden rays from the setting sun.<br />
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Date Taken: May 5, 2014
    Stone Steps
  • It’s a beautiful time of year around here. Every day the hills get a little greener and the snowline in the mountains climbs a little higher. Last week I hiked to the top of this hill near Dayton to watch the sunset. From here the northern end of the Bighorn Mountains can be seen stretching into Montana. Just as the sky was at it’s most colorful I started hearing the sound of hooves pounding the dirt in the distance. The sound got closer until one cow after another came running down the hillside on the other side of the fence. This continued for several minutes as I soon lost count. At the end was a cowboy on an ATV with his dog chasing the last few members of the herd. It was loud, dusty, and smelly, but fun to watch. I had no idea a cattle drive was going to happen, but don’t think I could have planned it better if I tried. It was probably the Wyomingest sunset I’ve ever seen.
    Cattle Drive Sunset
  • The sun sets in between two boulders. The boulders are part of a glade, which is a rocky, treeless area commonly found in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri.<br />
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Date Taken: May 5, 2014
    Between Boulders
  • This was my view while I ate lunch on Cloud Peak, the highest point of the Bighorn Mountains. I timed this 25 mile long, 3 day backpacking trip with the hottest day of the year. While the temperature topped 100°F down in the valley, up here at 13,167 feet it was much more pleasant in the 60's. At this high elevation the boiling point of water is 25° cooler than at sea level. In the cirque 1500 feet below lies the Cloud Peak Glacier. It is the only glacier in the Bighorns and is predicted to be gone 20 years from now. As the compressed snow and ice slowly slides down the mountain slope, it grinds up the bedrock beneath it and forms a very fine silt called "rock flour". This flour becomes suspended in the glacial meltwater and gives the lake it's greenish-turquoise color that changes with the lighting conditions. In the hour I spent on the summit I heard the sound of numerous rockfalls. Some of them would cause a chain-reaction lasting a minute or longer.
    Top of the Bighorns
  • This view of the Rocky Mountains is from the 12,000 feet high Loveland Pass. Hidden in the valley below is Interstate 70, where it crosses the Continental Divide at Eisenhower Tunnel.<br />
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Date Taken: 11/8/2013
    Loveland Pass
  • This dawn marked the end of a very long night backpacking in Shenandoah National Park. Between chasing away pesky mice and having very strong winds topple my tent on me, I got very little sleep. I just hoped the sunrise would be worth it. It was. For about 30 minutes preceding sunrise I couldn't see more than 10 yards as Mary's Rock was trapped in a thick fog. But then the sun broke through. It was a struggle to keep myself and my tripod steady as the winds continued to gust. Clouds would race up the western slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains. But once they reached the eastern side, the clouds would slow down and hardly move at all because the winds were calmer. Often times I would compose a picture, set my exposure, and then the opportunity would be gone as conditions changed by the second. This was my favorite picture from the morning. Mary's Rock is a 3,514 foot tall mountain above Thornton Gap near Luray, Virginia.
    Between Heaven and Earth
  • Three horses trot across a field in front of the Grand Teton Mountains on a clear day.
    Teton Horses
  • There was a lot to see in this view from Castle Gardens outside of Ten Sleep. Hoodoos and toadstools, red rock canyons, and the snow-capped Bighorn Mountains all lit up in the golden evening sunlight.
    Cloud Peak From Castle Gardens
  • After a 35-minute ride on a chairlift in the dark, I arrived at the Aurora Sky Station, 1000 meters above sea level near the top of the mountain Nuolja. Below stretched out a panoramic view of the lake Torneträsk, the lights from Abisko village, and other peaks of the Scandinavian Mountains. The weather was ideal. Even though temperatures were at the lower limit in which the lift is allowed to operate, the skies were clear and the wind was calm. Unfortunately the aurora was calm as well. The northern lights danced a little on the ride up, then faded to a weak glow barely perceptible for the rest of the night. But I tried to make the most of my time up here by shooting this startrail image. I processed it in a way to fade the trails into the background while bringing out the colors of the faint green aurora band. Even though my camera was pointed due north, it was not possible to include the North Star in the shot, at least not without shooting vertically. In Arctic latitudes the North Celestial Pole is too high up in the sky.
    Nuolja Star Trails
  • The first light of the last day of 2016 touches Grand Teton while clouds swirl around Mount Owen. This mountain is nothing short of grand. It towers 13,775 feet above sea level, just shy of Wyoming's highest peak. From the moment the Tetons first come into view while driving through the valley, I find it hard to look away. These dramatic, sawtooth-shaped mountains are spectacular any time of the year, but especially so in winter. The summit is flanked on both sides by 2 glaciers.
    Grand Opening
  • A colorful sunset fills the sky as seen from Welch Ranch Recreation Area. The Tongue River flows is in the lower right and the snow capped Bighorn Mountains are in the background.
    A Change of Seasons
  • After pitching my tent and eating dinner, I watched this thunderstorm roll into the Bighorn Mountains. There's always something special about a sunset at 10,000 feet.
    Paint Rock Valley Sunset
  • I struggled to even get my car door open as dark clouds surged across the sky. Waves moving across the grass made it look more like an angry ocean than a wheat field. It would take a dozen tries in these strong outflow winds before I could get a picture that wasn't completely blurry. The storm seemed to be saying, "eat my dust," which got in my eyes and left them irritated the rest of the day. Minutes later this mountain would vanish, gobbled up by the shelf cloud. This chase at the end of June was probably my most intense of 2019. This supercell had it all: powerful lightning, large hail, hurricane force winds and a couple of tornadoes. The cell formed slowly at first in the Little Belt Mountains of Central Montana. But once it descended onto the plains, it was off to the races. I couldn't stop for more than a few minutes at a time before being overtaken again. It was well into Canada and North Dakota before it ran out of steam the next morning.
    Dusty Outflow Winds
  • Mission Falls drops hundreds of feet to the valley below as the sun sets. Golden Larch and Aspen trees fill the valley as the seasons change. The 250 square mile Mission Mountain Wilderness contains many snowcapped peaks, alpine lakes, 1,000 foot waterfalls, and numerous wildlife. There are few hiking trails and most are steep and hard to follow. Because of this, it doesn't attract many visitors. Half of the range lies within the Flathead Indian Reservation and the mountains weren't explored by white men until 1922.
    Mission Falls Sunset
  • The milky way sets behind the peaks of the Biterroot Mountains, Montana. This view was seen from Lost Horse Overlook and the pointy peak on the right is Brandy Mountain. The clouds here were repeatedly forming in the same area on the left, hiding some of the milky way.
    Bitterroot Milky Way
  • While coming down from the Bighorn Mountains I was treated to a dramatic sunset ahead of an incoming snowstorm. The mostly hidden peak on the left is Darton Peak, with Peak Angeline in the middle. Both of them are over 12,000 feet high. I often wonder what it would be like to watch a sunset like this from the summit of a tall peak in the winter. One thing for sure is that it would be brutally cold. This picture almost didn't happen because I was in a rush to return my rental skis before the shop closed at 6:00. After taking this one last shot I made it there with 2 minutes to spare.
    Flaming Winter Sunset
  • On this day I headed up into the mountains with one goal: to capture the snow and fall colors together as two seasons collided. A snow storm occurring when the colors are at their peak is not something that happens every year. I wanted to be there the moment the storm ended and the sun came out, because fresh snow does not stay looking fresh for very long. Temperatures remained in the high 20’s all day and rime ice caused by freezing fog had coated the forest as well. The sun finally came out shortly after 5PM and then soon disappeared behind a nearby ridge. Aspen trees are not as widespread in the Bighorns as they are in other parts of the Rockies. Large clusters of them can be hard to find, but this stand across from Antelope Butte is one of the larger ones that I’m aware of. All the trees in an aspen stand are actually clones of one another. They are connected underground by a vast root system. This makes aspen trees some of the largest living organisms on Earth.
    Autumn Frosting
  • On this day I headed up into the mountains with one goal: to capture the snow and fall colors together as two seasons collided. A snow storm occurring when the colors are at their peak is not something that happens every year. I wanted to be there the moment the storm ended and the sun came out, because fresh snow does not stay looking fresh for very long. Temperatures remained in the high 20’s all day and rime ice caused by freezing fog had coated the forest as well. The sun finally came out shortly after 5PM and then soon disappeared behind a nearby ridge. Aspen trees are not as widespread in the Bighorns as they are in other parts of the Rockies. Large clusters of them can be hard to find, but this stand across from Antelope Butte is one of the larger ones that I’m aware of. All the trees in an aspen stand are actually clones of one another. They are connected underground by a vast root system. This makes aspen trees some of the largest living organisms on Earth.
    Aspens and Snowy Cliff
  • I went snowshoeing a few miles on this snowmobile trail in the Bighorn Mountains since I had never explored it before. The South Tongue River could only be seen in a few places, it was mostly frozen.
    Snowing On Snow
  • Young saplings grow among the older pine trees near Red Grade Road in the Bighorn Mountains.
    Young Saplings
  • The temperature was somewhere around 10 to 15 degrees below zero when I went for a hike besides Piney Creek in the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains near Story. There were all kinds of interesting ice formations along the edge of the creek. Delicate frost feathers had formed on top of the clear layers of ice and all the boulders were simply lumps of snow. The water flows fast enough that I didn't see any parts of the creek that were frozen over completely. Standing above snowy trees at the entrance to the canyon is this colorful stained cliff. It doesn't see any sunlight until late afternoon.
    Piney Creek Cliff
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